Balaji's cricket career began with a local club. He then moved to the state accountant general's office, and thereafter the Chemplast team. Soon, he was playing for the Tamil Nadu state team and then the India 'A' side. From there it was a matter of time before the hardworking Balaji realised his dream of playing for the Indian side.

Taking care of Balaji's needs as a budding cricketer was never a problem for his parents. "We didn't even know what he did; everything was taken care of by his uncle," says Mallika. "We didn't have to spend anything on him. He had Chemplast as sponsors taking care of him and all his needs. His uncle saw to all that."

Balaji's father heaved a sigh of relief only when his son was selected for the Tamil Nadu Ranji Trophy team. "Till then," he admits, "I was a worried man. What he has achieved today is a realisation of his dream. He used to tell us all the time that his dream was to play for India, and he did. I never fully believed that he would achieve what he dreamt of!"

Though worried for their son, godfearing Lakshmipathy and Mallika never performed any special puja for his success. "On his own," his mother says, "he would go to temples; always accompanying him was his uncle."

He would still not have achieved anything, his mother adds, if not for his uncle L Balaji, his coach N P Balaji, Tamil Nadu coach Bharat Reddy, India 'A' coach K Srikkanth and also the AG's office, "which was the first to felicitate him."

One thing his mother was very particular about once Balaji started playing for the Ranji Trophy team was his diet. She would ask her cook to prepare all the delicacies Balaji loved -- crab, prawn, fish, eggs, fruit juice. "He loves non-vegetarian food," she reveals, "and also loves orange juice. So we always have fresh orange juice for him. As he is a fast bowler, I know his diet has to be taken proper care of. He likes only chappatis at night. So I would ask the cook to prepare good North Indian curry to go with chappatis."

Balaji is very close to his eldest sister Padmini. "She encouraged him a lot," says Vijayalakshmi. "Before she got married and moved to Bangalore, she took care of all his needs. She was a friend and guide to him. When she went abroad to work before marriage, she came back with a lot of stuff for him."

"As there is only a couple of years between Balaji and me," she continues, "we fight most of the time! My sister used to ask him every minute detail after he came back from a tour. He has toured all cricket-playing countries as part of the India 'A' team, and they used to discuss for hours. I was never interested in cricket; only she and my father were always seated before the television once any match started."

Of late Vijayalakshmi has learnt a thing or three about the game from her younger brother. Now, whenever Balaji is playing, and if she is at home, she too can be found in front of the television cheering him on. "I would shout so loudly every time my brother took a wicket that my parents would ask me to keep quiet," she said. "They watch very silently."

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